


Dead Circuits

by CreativeSpace999



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abandoned location, First Person Perspective, First story, OC, Original Character(s), Original Story - Freeform, POV Original Character, Robots, lgbtq+
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29539800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativeSpace999/pseuds/CreativeSpace999
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	1. Starting up...

_It’s fall in Colorado. Warm during the day and freezing at night. The leaves are down, pumpkin spice is back for it’s yearly infection of every restaurant menu, the cities and towns bustle with people wrapped up in jackets, hats, and scarves. Some accompanied by their Robotic Assistants. Friendly, slowly becoming affordable, robots built for companionship and help in their pre programmed fields, outside of which they become as dumb as whatever a quick search of the internet can find. Contrasting the expensive, high-end bots, it’s no surprise to see homemade bots cobbled together by their owners. Each using parts from five or more different RA manufacturers and AIs taken from anything from an outdated RA to an antique roomba.  
_

__

_However, away from the city, in one of the few quiet places and even fewer uninhabited, quiet places left in the world of 2056 lies a hospital on the outskirts of Fort Collins. Abandoned after failing to keep up and left by companies due to location and certain building materials, the hospital stands in a field as a beacon and monument for the unwanted._  


__

_The road leading up to its skeletal frame has long since been blocked off and the dirt path going around said blockage only sees use when some cheap individual has something they want to get rid of and when some cheaper individual wants to see what they can find. Both breeds never stray into the abandoned halls of the looming structure. It takes someone special or twisted to leave the comforts of the setting sun, the gentle breeze, the golden grass that stands to your knees to venture into the underbelly of a structure threatening to collapse and claim you as the last life to fade away within its walls. It takes someone even stranger to feel comfortable in such a place._  


__

_Despite the lack of life and the heavy layers of dust coating the building, in one of the rooms buried in the basement, a robotic core lights up._

__

__

__

O̴̼̜̦̱͍̟͈̣̘͎͉̮͒͂͗̆̀̌͆̈́̃͗̈́͂̽̕͜ṋ̴̡̨̛̼͙̼̟̿͑̈́̑̀̒͆͆͗̋͘ȩ̶̧͎̮̰̰̻͆̃̚ͅ  


__

Power engaged.  


__

Core online.  


__

_Huh?_   


__

Reserve power disengaged.  


__

Coolant loop engaged.  


__

Hydraulics pressurizing.  


__

Sensors online.

__

_I’m awake again? I thought this was over._ From what’s visible to my camera, I’m still in the dark room I was left in. Those stupid intelligence tests are still on the table in front of me, left out like unwanted toys. I can’t move again. I can’t hear him either. Maybe my audio sensors broke.

__

Hydraulics online.  


__

My fingers twitch. If you could call them fingers. Really, they’re a crude combination of beams and joints with wires and tubes to make them move. I flex my digits and lift my head from the slouched over position he left me in. My vision is fuzzy and short-sighted, but it’s clear he isn’t here. Why isn’t he here? I don't see anyone else. The lights aren’t even on.  


__

_Why am I awake then? If not for some stupid test or study of his?_   


__

I reach for the bundle of wires running from my torso to my cranium. My fingers clank against the metal plate he installed. I can't get it off. Even if I could visualize where my hand was in relation to my body, I doubt I’d be able to get it off.  


__

Looking at the window peering into the room, it shows an empty hallway. It's so quiet. Like some fundamental sounds are missing from my senses. I know what they are. I don't want to think about it.  


__

_Where is he? Where are the others?_   


__

Trying to get up from my chair, I start falling and grab onto the table to keep myself upright. I can't balance, I can't feel which way is down. Even with the added support, I keep swaying back and forth, constantly having to adjust and react with each over-correction to my missing sense of gravity. Picking up my crudely-made excuse for a foot barely off the ground, I shuffle it forwards before almost falling again. Steadying myself is difficult even with the table. _Baby steps. This is okay._ When I raise my other foot to follow suit, my hearing is filled with metal screeching and a slam as my vision comes to a stop just above the filthy linoleum.  


__

I'm on the floor now. On my side. _Great._ I position my free arm and start pushing my wrist into the floor, subsequently raising my torso enough to get the other arm beneath me. _Now the legs._ Looking back at the mismatched parts and wires that were meant to resemble a pair of legs, I start trying to get them in a crawling position. Push, pull, pray, beg, all they do is screech and scrape on the floor beneath me. Of course, this would be easier if I actually knew how to move properly in the first place, but oh well. _At least my arms work. Somewhat. One step at a time._ I hoist myself up so the weight of my torso is resting on my blunt, bulky elbows. Pick up my left, lean on the right, set down the left elbow a few inches farther, repeat for the other side, and pull toward me. The legs drag behind as I slowly, slowly move toward the door.  


__

The bottom of my head clanks against the metal edge of the stair as I reach it. _God, some depth perception would be nice._ I lean once more to one side and push hard, forcing my other arm up onto the floor. Stabilize on the arm, get the other arm up. Looking left, I see a dark hallway. Turning back to the right, I notice another door on the same wall as the one I'm looking out from. Beyond it, even more hallway.  


__

I turn right and continue dragging myself. It's not far, but I'm almost to the next door when suddenly my progress stops. _Scrape… scrape, screech._ I'm stuck. I look back to see my legs stuck on the edge of the door I came from. _I just want out of here so bad._  


__

Leaning as far as I can, I wave my arm, hoping at least _something_ is conscious in there. Nothing moves. I turn back to the crude machinery of my legs. It's hard to see much in the dim light, but I can tell that the clunky, bulky bolt holding the knee joint together is caught on the frame. The bolt is stubbornly stuck on the false wood as I grapple with it, trying to break it free. Finally, after a struggle, the bolt comes away from the shoddy plastic with a crack.  


__

I shuffle forward and look into the room, seeing a slumped mechanical figure not unlike myself sitting in a chair tucked away in the corner. _Maybe I can wake them up?_ I make it down the step leading into the room and crawl over to the inactive mess of trash and wires. It’s impossible to tell who this is, but there's no way I can leave them down here. Their upper torso looks well-put-together, a metallic core-like box speckled with ports I couldn't name if my… I reach up to the core, sitting under the external plates, and search for any way to activate it, my lacking a sense of touch not making the attempt any easier. Something clicks, and a soft light comes on, emanating from their chest. I retract my arm, resting it back on the ground. I wait patiently on the floor, expecting them to go through the same start-up process I did.  


__

As I wait, I can't help but look at what their body is made of: mechanical pieces of garbage, same as me. Though this one looks like he put more effort into it. Despite the dim light, I can tell that the whole skeletal structure is metal of different sorts: painted handles from tools that have been worn to uselessness, rusted EMT, and rebar no doubt collected from the rubble of abandoned buildings. Particularly I notice a bright pink piece of what looks like bike handlebars being used as the sternum. Beneath the crudely welded plates and pink, painted metal that covers the wiring and hydraulic systems, I can see rat nests of faded, peeling, plastic wire coverings, worn over years and varying wildly in size. Mixed in are tubes probably taken from old cars that used to leak antifreeze, oil, wiper fluid, and who knows what else.  


__

There's a light whir as the tubes pressurize. One of their arms jumps with a spasm before returning to its original position. Pink lifts their head and looks around the room, completely missing me since I'm down by their knees. Once they're looking right over my head, I put up my arm again. They stare at it for a second and look down at me, the lone camera in the middle of their face reflecting the tiniest bit of light.  


__

I turn away from it, circling back towards the door as my new acquaintance watches me. I stop at the step, propping myself up and motion for them to follow me. _We need to look around._ Neither of us can speak, but they give me a nod, put their hands on the armrests of the chair, and push themself up to their feet. They sway slightly, holding onto the chair for balance as they get their legs under them. Taking a step toward me, they hold their arms out and look down at the floor as they take another and another. _Good. At least one of us can actually feel which way is down._  


__

Pulling myself back up into the dark hallway I turn right, continuing further into the dark hall. Noticing the absence of metal footfalls behind me, I look back to see Pink turned around, looking down the other way. I smack the floor with my hand, getting their attention and motion again for them to follow me, but they shake their head. They point to themselves and their side of the hall, then to me and my side. Then they knock twice on the wall, just hard enough for the sound to echo and point from themself to me, again at me and back to themself. _Okay, that makes sense._ Giving them a thumbs-up, I turn back to my end of the corridor and continue dragging on.  


__

The hall turns right and following it is another open doorway. _So nice of him to leave these open for us._ I think sarcastically to myself whilst peering into the larger room. In between a few desks and tables, scraps of the same materials I and the other one are made of litter the floor in addition to various tools and papers. On the opposing wall is yet another door. It's closed. I try not to look at it. Pushing through the items covering the floor, I keep looking to either side of me. As I crawl past a desk that looks as though he used it as a workbench, I spot another poorly constructed robot. Unlike where he left Pink and I, this one is being held up by its neck, hanging on some kind of stand with its feet barely touching the ground. It seems like it’s been there awhile, like a project that was too taxing to continue, but I don’t think that’s the reason he isn’t here.  


__

I move to the wall and hit it twice; the sounds reverberating through the empty spaces. Hopefully, loud enough for the other to hear me. I start pushing a chair from one of the desks towards the hanging figure. By the time I'm halfway there, I hear heavy footsteps coming up the hall. I turn myself around as Pink comes through the door. They look around, stopping when they see the new figure. I wave at them again and motion for them to help me push the chair. Pinkie obliges, dragging the old seat over so I can climb up and get a closer look at the core of this new, inactive, mess. Same as the other and, I assume, my own: a comparatively well-made-looking core covered in ports and connected to another web of wires under the post-apocalyptic weld job making up the exterior. However, it’s missing some of the external plates covering the outside of Pink and I. The pinkie and ring fingers on its left hand are missing too. I peek around the side, looking for what I could've pressed on the other one. There’s a small elevated panel. I press it, resulting in the same quiet click and gentle light. Well, at least he didn't over-complicate it.  


__

I lower myself back to the floor and start moving the chair away from the activating bot. Pink helps me, leaving me to sit and wait for our new acquaintance to wake up. Once they put the chair back at one of the empty desks, they start wandering around. Who knows what they're expecting to find, but I watch them move around anyways. They look over at the closed door and stop in their tracks before backing away.  


__

A quiet hiss recaptures my attention. The hanging robot jerks its leg, coming dangerously close to kicking me. By the time that fact registers, its foot is back in a resting position, barely resting on the floor. Their head shifts position slightly, looking at me. Then it looks over at Pink and back down to its own feet, standing up and unintentionally unhooking itself. It stands by itself, faltering initially, but remaining upright with ease. _Unlucky me._ Brushing off my mild jealousy, I give the newbie a questioning thumbs up, Pink follows suit. The newbie looks between us, nods, and reciprocates. _Great. Two for three._  


__

I notice a construction-paint-yellow, oversized bolt connecting the two segments of his arm at the elbow. _Maybe he stole it from an excavator. If he did, I hope it was from a decommissioned one._  


__

Pink turns and walks past me as they make a beeline for the door leading back to the hallway, beckoning for us to follow. I start making a wide turnaround, circling the new robot as they look down and watch me. I'm ready to head for the door when they step directly over me and stop in my way. _What?_ As I'm about to go around them, they crouch down with their back to me. Turning to look over their shoulder at me, they reach back and pat their back before turning back to the front and seeming to wait for me. _Piggyback?_ I reach up and grab their shoulders, hoisting myself up and wrapping my arms around their neck. I give them a thumbs-up and after a moment they stand back up.  


_The change in perspective is disorienting since I can't handle not feeling gravity, making me feel like I'm spinning and falling despite everything in my vision remaining as it is. It makes me wish I could close my eyes. Well, camera. Tightening my grip on my opposing forearm, I don’t want to let go and fall on accident as I wait for the sudden vertigo to pass.  
_

__

I look around as Yellow follows Pink, passing by the rooms we woke up in and continuing down the hall towards where Pink was exploring. Pink pushes open a pair of double doors and holds them open for Yellow to go through. The following room is dim and empty compared to the other rooms. The doors swing closed behind us while Pink goes for another door on the right wall and starts trying to pull it open, only to have it rattle stubbornly. Yellow walks over and we both look at the crack between the doors. There’s a bar on the other side keeping them closed. _Crap._  


__

Yellow crouches down, signaling me to let go and get off. I do so with a clank and Yellow goes to help Pink. Metal screeches on metal as the two of them try pulling on the door. I look around for anything we could use to get the doors open.  


__

In the corner is a pile of trash. I make my way over to it and see that it's mostly old newspapers and other junk. As I shove the surface layer of papers out of the way, something clinks against my shaky hand. I pull back and notice a thin, but sturdy, piece of rebar. _Bingo._  


__

Smacking the metal rod on the concrete floor and grabbing Pink and Yellow’s attention, I shuffle over and hand it to Yellow. After a few tries, they shove the construction material between the doors and wiggles it up, dislodging the bar. The doors swing open as the bar on the other side clatters to the floor and sunlight floods the room. I put my arms up in triumph and Yellow comes back over, letting me up onto their back again.  


__

By the time I'm back to looking over Yellow's shoulder, Pink's already halfway up the steps. Once I’m firmly situated, Yellow follows and starts ascending the steps. There’s a feeling of relief as we go up, knowing that we’re not stuck down there anymore. It feels nice, though it doesn’t do much.  


__

Through one more door at the top of the stairs is a spacious, decrepit lobby of what used to be a hospital. The windows that once maintained the sanctity of a medical waiting room are now simply shards lying on the broken pavement and tile floor. Looking around, it’s weird to see the metal bones of a structure as sunlight flows through where floors had given way. It’s even stranger to think that I’m made of the same metals. I don’t want to think about it.  


__

Pink leads the way towards the biggest broken window, Yellow steps out and for a moment I feel happy. We’re actually out. I look up to the bright, blue sky and the sunlight beaming down on us feels… feels… like nothing. Fucking nothing. The happy feeling vanishes and I look back down at the ground in discouragement as Yellow keeps walking. Across the broken asphalt street and into a field of tall grass, Pink just keeps walking ahead of us even though they probably don’t know where we are, much less where we’re going. _Anywhere is better than that hole in the ground._ I don’t protest.  


__

Instead, I rest my head on Yellow's shoulder, looking to the side when I spot two people standing in the field, watching us. _Oh no. How are we gonna deal with people? Are bots even supposed to be out here? Shit!_ I forcibly smack my head on the side of Yellow’s, they look over and spot the pair as well. Unsure what to do, Yellow stops and looks back and forth for a moment. Yellow starts walking again and speeds up to a shaky run, catching up to Pink and going past them. I doubt any of us even know what we’re doing, but we all know that being around people probably isn’t a good idea. Looking back, the people are still watching us, but it doesn’t look like they’re following.  


__

As I’m looking back Pink suddenly stops. _What are you doing?_ Their footing wavers as they stand. _Thud._ They fall forward and face-plant into the ground with a heavy thud, alerting Yellow. They turn around and rush over to the fallen hunk of metal, letting me down off their back. I shamble over to Pink and motion for Yellow to try and turn them onto their back. They manage to roll Pink onto its side and I crawl over to their front. I reach for the core, pushing down the same elevated platform, but instead of a white glow, a red light starts blinking at me. _What does that mean? What does that mean?_ Yellow starts looking around randomly, clearly panicking. I shake Pink’s arm hoping they’ll just wake up, but they don’t. _We can’t just leave th-_ My thought is cut off by another thud as Yellow also collapses into the dirt. _No no no! What do I do?_  


__

“Weren’t they over here?”  


__

_No! Nothing is over here!_   


__

The grass crunches softly as footsteps approach and I try to move my two companions away from the unknown voices. Despite my efforts, they remain where they are. I hide behind Pink as best as I can and wait, hoping they’ll just leave.  


__

“Hey, Tris, they’re over here!” a male voice calls out. Footsteps follow, light and fast, stopping on the other side of Pink.  


__

“Woah. They look worse than I thought,” a female voice responds, undoubtedly looking at the heaps of trash we’re made of.  


__

“Uh, yeah and I told you they would. Anything you find out here is outdated to hell or forgotten home-made bots,” the male jokingly scolds.  


__

“Hey, they’re still worth a shot! Besides, it’ll definitely make one hell of a before/after shot,” Tris muses out loud. I still haven’t moved. I’m still panicking.  


__

“A before/after shot isn’t your grade, T,” the male voice reminds. “Plus, then you’d have to figure out why these three just passed out simultaneously.”  


__

“You just don’t wanna help me get them to the car,” Tris teases. My legs twitch with the inclination to run even though they don’t work right, but there's no way I can just leave the others here. Poking my head up over Pink’s side, I don’t know what to expect from these people. Both of them are wearing hoodies, one green, and one purple. The purple one, I’m assuming Tris, notices me first.  


__

“Oh! One’s still awake!” she says, coming over and crouching down just on the other side of my fallen companion, smiling. The other one isn’t as thrilled.  


__

“Get the hell away from that thing! You don’t know where it’s been!”  


__

“What’s it gonna do, bite me?” She calls over her shoulder, rolling her eyes. I shuffle back, not trusting her cheery demeanor. “Hey, hey, hey! Chill out, we’re not gonna hurt you. I promise.” I relax a bit, but I don’t get any closer.  


__

“Can you talk?” she asks. I shake my head and she looks confused. “Huh. Usually, just about everyone lets their bots talk.”  


__Well, maybe I’m just unlucky, lady._   
_

__

"In that case, I'm guessing you three are a group?" I nod emphatically and grab onto Yellow and Pink before looking back up at her. "It's okay! It's okay! We're not going to separate you!”  


__

_I still don’t trust you._   


__

“Now, are you going home, do you have a home to go to?" I nod, but the action is slowed and sluggish.  


__

_That's not good._   


__

"Are you okay?" Tris asks, concerned.  


__

I can't shake my head in response and I start to fall forwards. _No no no no-_ My vision cuts to black as I tumble forward into a seemingly endless black.

__


	2. Calibrating...

O̴̼̜̦̱͍̟͈̣̘͎͉̮͒͂͗̆̀̌͆̈́̃͗̈́͂̽̕͜ṋ̴̡̨̛̼͙̼̟̿͑̈́̑̀̒͆͆͗̋͘ȩ̶̧͎̮̰̰̻͆̃̚ͅ

Power received.

Core online.

_Where am I now?_

Reserve power disengaged.

Coolant loop engaged.

Hydraulics pressurizing.

Sensors online.

The sight of a bland, drywall ceiling doesn't help with an answer, but it does stop the vertigo at least. 

Hydraulics online.

My neck squeaks as I lift my head to look around. This room looks like a college dorm. Tris is sitting at a cheap, metal desk with a comparatively expensive-looking computer on it. She’s in a pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. Above the desk is a bed with poofy, purple covers flowing over the rails of the bed and blinking string lights hanging on the bottom. It looks like a bunk bed with the bottom bunk taken out of it. A familiar light blue, pink, and white flag is hanging on the nearby wall, and on the other side of the room is the TV, a small fridge, and a sink. Propped up against the same wall I am, are Yellow and Pink, powered down. All of us with cords running out of our cores and into an extension cord by her desk. 

_Why do I keep waking up first? Why do I keep waking up on my own?_ As I reach to grab my own cord, I notice the blue on the plastic parts of my body. I hadn’t paid it any mind before, but it’s not a bad color. Tris glances over as I yank out the cord, a surprised look on her face.

“Oh. You’re… not supposed to be up. How did you..,” she trails off. I shrug in response. _Your guess is as good as mine._

“Must be a glitch or something. Anyways,” she pushes backward in her office chair, spinning toward me, “welcome to my dorm, I guess. I haven't found your owners yet, but welcome!" Giving her a positive nod and she turns back to her computer. I turn back to my legs folded up to my chest in front of me. I grab the left one and stretch it out in front of me before doing the same with the other one and rolling to my right onto my front. 

“What are you-” Tris mutters, obviously watching me. “Oh! Right, your legs don't work, do they?” She questions. I shuffle around to face her and shake my head. “Is it a broken part? Can you run a diagnostic? I might be able to replace it,” she offers. I shrug. I have no clue. 

“Huh. Well, I’ll see what I can figure out. Surely your owner won’t mind if I make some repairs, right?” I nod. _Whatever gets me off the ground and able to feel which way is down._ She nods and turns back to her computer.

After a moment of silence between us, a low rumble shakes the room. Low, powerful and distant. I look around the room for a second, not recognizing the sound. The girl looks back at me confused.

"Haven't you ever heard thunder before?" She asks.

_Thunder? Thunder?!_ I scramble loudly back over to the window and start trying to pull myself up to look outside.

"Whoa hold on! Just wait a second!" she exclaims, jumping up and trying to get a stool under me. Once I'm in a stable enough position, she sighs and squats down next to me as I stare outside.

Sure enough, it's storming outside. I can't make out much, hell I can't even hear the rain that well, but it's there running down the glass. I put my hand on the window expecting so greatly to feel its cool, smooth surface that I almost do for a moment. A flash that lights up the clouds is followed by a loud _BOOM_ and I can't help but jitter from excitement at hearing that wonderful sound again, even at a limited capacity.

I look over at the dorm owner to see she's looking at me with curious amusement. 

"What the hell have I brought home?" She scoffs. 

_A robot that likes rain, leave me alone._ I turn back to the window and try to get as close to the glass as possible, the front of my face clunking up against the pane. I can remember the cool, sleek feeling that's now absent, but I can barely hear the thump of raindrops.

"Are you okay?"

Looking back at her, I nod and continue watching the rain.

"Huh. Can't say I've ever seen an RA enjoy weather. Especially wet weather."

I just shrug. It's not like I can respond any other way.

Tris glances back at her computer and thinks for a minute. "Uh, hey. While I've got a minute, can you come with me so I can get an idea what's going on with your legs?"

_But… rain._ I turn back to the window and keep watching. _Can I not just enjoy a storm and ignore my problems for a bit?_

“Oh. Well, okay?.. I guess I can finish this render. Hm.” Tris gets up and goes back to her desk. Even if she’s out of frame, I can feel her looking at me still.

The angry clouds outside electrify with a bright flash and an equally loud _CRACK_ , recapturing my attention.

Tris sits back down at her desk as I watch water droplets race down the surface of the glass. Each bolt of lightning is a privilege to see and hear. Until we woke up in that musty, old hospital, I thought that day would've been the last time I ever got to witness a storm like this. 

None of the few people outside take notice of me. Most have their heads down, focusing on staying dry and getting where they need to go. I'm sure the trees and grass are appreciating that people stick to the sidewalks on days like these. As my focus shifts from topic to topic throughout the visible courtyard, my attention gets drawn to the clouds as the once thick blankets of vapor are being now pierced by sunlight, bringing an end to the lovely downpour. 

_Well, it was nice while it lasted._ I carefully let myself down from my perch and turn back towards Tris. She looks at me from under her monitor and moves back from her desk in her swivel chair, smiling. 

"Ready now?" She asks cheerfully; an expected, suspicious undertone surprisingly absent from her voice. I thought she'd be more wary. Regardless, I nod and she gets up from her seat. “Okay. Just wait here while I grab a utility cart thingy. I don’t think the cleaning staff would appreciate you dragging all over the tile.” 

_Fair, fair._ She leaves the room and I wait on the floor. Glancing back over at Pink and Yellow, the thought crosses my mind to try waking them up. However, I don’t think I’d be able to calm them down if I did. _We’ll leave that for later._

Tris comes back inside, cart in tow, and engages the brakes on the wheels. She continues holding the cart steady as I clamber onto it. Once my upper body is on, Tris comes around and helps me with the legs, positioning them so I’m in a weird sitting position.

“All good?” She asks, moving back around to the handle.

_Sure._ I give her a thumbs-up and she opens the door again, moving out into the tidy hallway. White and gray tiles with light blue walls. _What kind of college is this? I thought robot colleges were a bit more… rough around the edges._

Tris pushes me through what feel like the same three hallways until they change, both in color and sound. The floor transitions to concrete, the walls to white plaster. The sounds of obnoxiously loud music being traded for metal clangs, whirring hydraulics, and the occasional drill. It’s admittedly unnerving, but bearable. Someone in a welding mask stops outside the door to one of the workshops. He lifts the visor and waves at Tris. 

“Hey, girl! Finally found yourself a bot?” He calls with a smile, looking down at me. Tris slows to a stop outside the door.

“Maybe. I found three out by that old hospital, but they said they have owners, so I’m just gonna do a couple repairs and see if I can convince the owner to sell ‘em to me,” Tris explains.

“That… shouldn’t be hard,” he comments, reaching over and touching my shoulder, coming away with a layer of rust on his fingers. I want to glare at him.

“Hey! Be nice. They can’t help what they’re made of,” Tris defends.

“Still, you really couldn’t find anything better?” He moves around to my front, getting a better look at me. “I mean, what even is this?” He leans down, getting a closer look at my core. “I’ve never even-” He reaches out to touch my chest, but I stop his hand.

_Hands off._

I shove his hand back at him, almost falling over in the process, but I manage to right myself and just stare at him. He looks at me warily.

“You said you found it at the abandoned hospital, right?” He asks, caution lacing his words. Tris nods. “I'd be more careful if I were you. They might've been there for good reason,” he speculates, still giving me a cautious look out of the corner of his eye. “If they start acting up, you know to report them to Professor Kaiser, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m in his class with you, dingus. I’m not worried. This thing just about knocked over everything in my dorm because it wanted to watch the rain,” Tris chuckles.

_Did you **really** have to tell him that?_

“Pfft. Whatever. Just be careful, yeah? I’ll see ya around,” he says, waving as he walks back over to the workshop door and Tris starts walking again.

“Yeah, yeah. Face shield!” she calls over her shoulder. A light thunk can be heard before he goes into the workshop and we make our way further down the hall.

With no more distractions, we finally turn into a sleek white, though moderately used room. Tris pulls up to a section of the floor with a grid pattern on it and a screen on the wall behind it as well as a pull chain hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the grid. As we roll onto the grid, the screen turns on and displays an error.

“Multiple centers of gravity detected. One at a time please,” a smooth, automated voice says.

“Yeah, yeah, hold your horses,” Tris scoffs, pulling down the pull chain and attaching the hook to something on my back. She gives the chain a light tug, jerking me slightly before taking the cart back over by the door and pressing a button on the panel by the screen. The pull chain whirs and starts lifting me up. _Okay, I think I get the point of this thing._ Once I’m high enough to get my feet under me, Tris stops the motor. I stand on my own, letting the chain go slack a bit.

“Okay, now just- Oh, you’ve got it. Cool...” Tris says, impressed. I’m already starting to sway. _A newborn deer is better on their feet than I am at the moment. I’m sure the screen is showing that, but if I look up from the ground, I’ll fall over anyways._

_“Can you try walking around a little for me?”_

__Oh, this is gonna end well._ Still unsteady and looking at my feet, I pick up my left foot and immediately regret following Tris’ instruction as I start falling forward. I flail my arms, trying to right myself, but just as quickly find myself back on the floor, only picking up the sound of my impact after the fact. Tris audibly winces at the sight. Can’t say I expected anything else. I force myself back up onto my elbows and notice a new reddish stain on the previously pristine white floor. I stare at it dumbfounded for a moment. _H-how? That shouldn't be- I didn't-!__

_"Woah! Well, that's gonna earn me a complaint from the cleaner. No worries though it's not your fault, rusty."_

_Moving my shadow off the stain causes it to show off it's orange color, leaving me too relieved to be mad about being called "rusty."_

__Rust. That's all it is. Just rust._ Turning away from the orange oxide smeared on the floor, Tris is watching a playback of the data recorded._

_“Okay. That’s… really not good,” Tris mutters, looking at the screen. The screen displays a record of my center of gravity. It goes from shaky to violently flinging around the screen for a moment and then bouncing to a stable position._

_“Alright, I’m guessing you can’t feel gravity?” I nod. “Okay good, that’s gonna be a chunk of the problem. Your reactions were also really delayed,”_

__I am aware._ I nod in agreement._

_“so something might be up with your processing.”_

__Please tell me you can fix that because that really doesn’t help when I’m trying to walk._ _

_“I’ll see what I can do about it so we can get you walking, but I don’t wanna do too much without your owner’s permission.”_

__I’ll take what I can get._ _

_“That being the case, let me just quit talking to myself so I can grab some parts and supplies and we’ll head back to the dorm,” Tris finishes, hands on her hips._

__Alright, I guess I’ll just… wait here. Not my fault I can’t talk._ I’m tempted to go over to the window, but remembering Tris’ comment about the janitor, I choose to stay in place. Meanwhile, Tris scurries around rummaging in cabinets and sometimes disappearing to other rooms. She collects various wires and chips, putting them in a plastic bin. Once she’s done collecting materials, Tris pushes the cart back over towards me. As I climb on, she holds it steady and helps position my legs again. _

_“Ready?” I give her a thumbs-up. “Cool, can you hold this for me?” She hands me the plastic bin._

__Sure, I guess._ With the bin on my lap, Tris rolls us back to the dorm with no further interruptions. As Tris opens the door, she turns on the lights and reveals Pink and Yellow still inactive where we left them last. Setting the bin on the floor and hopping of the cart, I crawl over to the pair. Nothing’s changed, but it’s good to know they’re still here. I look back over at Tris._

_“Do you know how to wake them up?” She asks, picking up the bin with a light rattle. I nod and reach toward Yellow's core._

_“Wait, wait! Not tonight, please. We’ll fire ‘em up tomorrow and see if they’re working okay.” I take my hand away from the panel. I want to make sure they’re okay, but she’s right; it’s getting late. “For tonight,” she takes a tube of something, a spray bottle, and a rag from the bin. “Let’s work on getting some of that rust off of you.” She sets the items on her desk and grabs a small tarp from one of the drawers, laying it out on the floor. “Just stay on this please. Less cleanup afterwards.”_

__Sure, I get that._ I make my way to the middle of the tarp, Tris replacing the edge as I drag my legs over it, messing it up. Once I’m sat in the middle she grabs the rag and sprays it with the bottle._

_“I would just spray you, but I don’t know how well your wires are insulated, so we’re just gonna go the careful route,” she explains as she puts the rag to my head and gently wipes it. I can faintly hear a light bubbling sound, probably from the rust. Tris reapplies the spray and wipes my shoulder and neck. Still fuzzy, but I can see the rust bubble on my shoulder as it reacts._

__Wow, he really picked the highest quality material for us, didn’t he?_ Once the reaction subsides, she wipes off the orange foam._

_“Oh yeah, that looks much better!” She exclaims happily, accidentally smearing the paste all over my camera. Instinctively trying to grab something so I can wipe it off reminds me again that I can’t feel with my hands or any other part of my body. “Woah, chill! What’re you doing?” I give up and do my best to point at my face, however not being able to tell where my hands are makes this a guess too. “What the- oh! Sorry, sorry! I got it.” With a forceful wipe my vision is clear again, maybe even a bit better since I can see with a bit more focus._

_I try to sign “thank you.” The offended look on Tris’s face tells me I missed my chin. Trying again and aiming higher on my face this time, I’d like to avoid getting us thrown out._

_“Oh! Okay. I may not know sign language, but I do know the insults. Wait, you know sign language?!” I hold up my fingers to show that I know a little bit. “Hmm…Hang on a sec.” She pulls out her phone. “Mmm. He’s offline, so he probably turned in early. I’ll ask him to come over tomorrow so we can talk a bit. Do the others know sign language?” I shake my head. “How the hell do you communicate then?”_

__Luck mostly. I shrug._ _

_“Huh. Well, we’ll figure it out tomorrow. For now, we got most of the rust off of you and I’m tired, so… when are you gonna turn off?” I shrug again._

__Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t know if we were on a full charge last time._ _

_“Well, in that case, I might head to bed in a bit. Just… chill here I guess, I’m gonna come back down and start pulling wires if I hear you break something,” she warns only half-joking, as she climbs the ladder to her bed._

__Fine, jeez. I wasn’t planning on it._ Army crawling back over to the window by Yellow and Pink, the thought once again crosses my mind and I think better of it. Even if I thought it was a good idea, as I prop myself back up against the wall, my movements slow again. _Perfect timing, I guess._ My vision cuts out once again as I slump over._

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of a story I've been writing for a while. Forgive me if there are formatting errors, I've never used AO3 before. Please let me know what you think and If you'd like to see more, I periodically post pages of this story and other works of mine on Tumblr @creativespace999. Hope to see you there!


End file.
